A Sunday Reflection on Micah 6:8

This blog post is a little bit stream-of-consciousness, so it’s not my best writing. But if the Spirit has something instructive or enlightening for you in it, then praise be to God. And if it makes you uncomfortable, or even angry, then praise be to God.

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?”

These words from Micah 6:8 are often quoted by progressive Christians like me as the benchmark for godly living. It’s easy enough to take the words at face value: “do justice” means to treat everyone fairly and equitably; “love kindness” means to be sincerely nice to everyone; and “walk humbly with your God” means to not think of oneself too highly. But is that all there is to it? Taking the words of the Bible at face value is a dangerously simplistic hermeneutic that results in cherry-picking relativism. According to Roger Wolsey, author of Kissing Fish: Christianity for people who don’t like Christianity, progressive Christians apply a hermeneutic of compassion, love, and justice to scripture. He asserts that this is the hermeneutic that Jesus Himself applied to the scriptures He had at hand in His day, that Jesus allowed for the spirit of the law to trump the letter of the law if that application resulted in God’s love and justice prevailing and drawing the individual into closer relationship with God.

         I’m not a theologian. I don’t understand the ancient Hebrew language. I don’t know much about the history and culture of that people. Like thousands upon thousands of early followers of Christ, I am a Gentile with a very different history and life story. Unlike orthodox Jews, I eat pork and other “unclean” foods. And while I was circumcised as a baby, it was not for religious reasons. So I am baffled as to why so many modern-day Christians are so obsessed with the Old Testament laws, especially when the issues pertain to topics such as marriage equality and women’s rights. If Jesus was the fulfillment of the law, then why not look to Jesus’s own words and actions as our authoritative lense as followers of Christ? Shouldn’t our first questions be “What did Jesus say?” and “What did Jesus do?”

         Let’s consider how Jesus treated women. For thousands of years, women have been easy targets and scapegoats. Even Adam blamed Eve for his own disobedience to God. Women had a pretty low status in Jesus’s day. It was easy for a man to divorce his wife then; he pretty much just announced publicly that he no longer wanted her as a wife, and threw her out of his home. A divorced woman often had no place to go. Her own family most likely wouldn’t take her back because it would have been nearly impossible to find another man who would take her as a wife. And since women had no social status, it was virtually impossible for a woman to become independent. Most divorced women, forced to do whatever was necessary for their survival, thus turned to prostitution or, at best, begging. So Jesus had a lot to say against divorce. If we take His words at face value, then we assume that Jesus hated divorce. But I believe that when we look at His words through the lense of justice and compassion, Jesus was actually being a radical feminist for His time. He was concerned about the welfare of these women and telling men to take responsibility for their commitments to their wives. In that culture and in that period of time, Jesus’s words would have been radically different from what those people would have accepted as “normal.” Needless to say, it pissed off a lot of the men around Jesus.

         One of the singular driving forces behind many conservative Christian voters is their staunch “pro-life” position (I use quotes around “pro-life” because I do not think most of these people are “pro-life” at all, but rather “anti-abortion.” If they were truly pro-life, they would be against the death penalty and against war, and most are not. I respect those in the minority who are anti-abortion, anti-death penalty, and anti-war). It is a historical fact that abortion has been practiced in cultures around the world for thousands of years, including in ancient Israel. Jesus would have known about the practice, and He would have most likely adhered to the commonly accepted beliefs about it. Yet according to the Gospels, He never once said anything about it. Was it because it wasn’t widely practiced? Or because it wasn’t a controversial issue in His time? We cannot know for sure. All we know is, Jesus didn’t say anything about it. So if we use the hermeneutic of love and justice, we are left to consider what is in the best interests of both the woman and the fetus. Let’s remember that in Jesus’s time, they didn’t know about eggs and sperm. They only knew that a man deposited his “seed” into a woman’s womb, where—if the woman was fertile—that “seed” germinated and grew into a person in about nine to ten months’ time. Children were the product of the father and thus his property. Male heirs carried on the family name, inherited property, and cared for the parents in their old age; females were sold off as wives or slaves, or kept at home as caregivers. A woman who wanted to terminate a pregnancy would have been denying a man his rightful property, but there were provisions in place for consideration of the mother’s health. Instead of focusing on the unborn fetus, I believe Jesus would have focused instead on the well-being of the mother. Jesus, being the Son of God, would have understood the biological processes involved in reproduction, I imagine. But since He did not come to teach science, He would not have wasted his precious time on Earth to teach such things to people, many of whom already believed He was a heretic. On this topic, we’re left to our own interpretations. And if we apply Jesus’s hermeneutic, then we look through the lense of love and justice; what is most loving toward the mother and the unborn fetus, and what is just toward them both? As for me, I believe abortion is a sad and painful choice to make. But ultimately, it is not my choice to make for a woman who is pregnant. It is her body and thus her right to choose what she deems best, and whatever choice she makes, she deserves my compassion and not my condemnation.

         Another pet topic of conservative Christians is that of same-sex relationships. So many of them seem so intent on keeping people who love each other apart. Admittedly I am biased on this topic, being a gay man myself who has come on that long journey of self-acceptance to the place where I can “…love [my] neighbor as myself.” Yet this is another topic on which Jesus had nothing to say. It would be stupidly naïve to assert that this topic didn’t exist in Jesus’s time. The culture of ancient Palestine was strongly influenced by ancient Greece and Rome, and we all know that there are historically documented instances of same-sex relationships in those cultures and in neighboring ones (I understand some of the best ancient same-sex love poetry comes from ancient Persia, which also had a strong influence on ancient Hebrew culture). Now I’m not talking about pagan temple rituals involving homosexual orgies, or about the ancient practice of males publicly raping other males to assert dominance, or about pederasty (the practice of older males taking a young boy as a lover). I’m talking about one person loving another person of the same sex. People have expressed same-sex love in cultures around the world and throughout time, so it wasn’t an unknown phenomenon in Jesus’s time. Yet He didn’t say anything about it. So when we are faced with the issue of blessing same-sex relationships, which really means honoring the rights and responsibilities of the two people in the relationship, we must consider what is the compassionate and just attitude if we use the same hermeneutic as Jesus. Conservative Christians hold up the “Biblical model” of marriage as God’s standard, but the fact is that there are multiple models presented in the Bible: one man, one woman; one man and as many wives as he could afford; one man, his wives, and his concubines; one man, his wife or wives, and their female slaves; one man, his wife or wives, and his deceased brother’s widow; one man and his rape victim (if he is willing to pay her bride price). Even Jesus told a parable about one groom with many brides. Clearly the “Biblical” standard for marriage is polygamy, right? Of course, the counter-argument is, “Where are the examples in the Bible of men marrying men, or women marrying women?” In ancient times, marriage was more about property and inheritance and social obligation than it was about love. In fact, marriage on the basis of love is a relatively new concept in human history. We’ve made the Bible fit our paradigm of one man-one woman marriage rather than letting the Bible shape our paradigm of what marriage means in our day and time. Jesus didn’t address anybody’s reasons for getting married. He only addressed divorce. So either He didn’t care, or it simply wasn’t an issue worth addressing. If we apply His hermeneutic of love and justice, then we let the spirit of the law trump the letter of it, and we think of what is right and just for the couple desiring to be married, and not what is right or just for the people uninvolved in the marriage.

         Conservative Christians also seem to be very selective in their interpretations of scripture concerning war, the welcoming of strangers (foreigners), care for the earth, caring for the poor and destitute, and other politically controversial topics. What did Jesus say and do, if anything, in these matters? How did Jesus treat foreigners? How did Jesus treat the poor? The sick? Women? Children? The outcast and those who were “unclean” by their culture’s standards? And I broaden my scope to include any follower of Christ, not just conservative Christians, for we all fall short of living up to the standards set for us by Jesus. But having come from the conservative Christian background myself, I know from my own experience how hypocritical and how selective conservatives can be in their interpretation and application of scripture. And sadly many well-intentioned followers of Christ have been led astray in recent decades by the false doctrine of the prosperity gospel. This wrongful teaching has become the political tool of greedy capitalists and power mongers whose sole motivation is the perpetuation of their own patriarchal power structure. They lead the sheep astray with their false teachings and divisiveness, waving their pro-life and anti-gay banners to rally support from followers and deflect attention away from their own sin of greed and lust for power and domination. These were the people Jesus most harshly criticized—the Pharisees, Scribes, and other power-holders of his day who misused and misapplied the Law in order to control the people and maintain the status quo.

         The writer of 1 John in the New Testament proclaims that anyone who loves is born of God, and those who do not love do not know God, because God is love. We’re all capable of love; it is a choice, not an ability that we either do or do not have. For some it comes more easily than it does for others. Theology is a fascinating, complicated, messy field of study, and knowing one hermeneutic from another requires more time and effort than many of us have or are willing to expend. However, the one hermeneutic that we are all capable of practicing is the lense of love and justice. We all are able to love, and we all know, in our hearts, what is just if love is our guide. One needn’t be a biblical scholar, knowledgeable in ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, and an expert in the cultures of the time, to follow Christ. One needn’t even be literate in any language. One needn’t understand the concept of God in any great depth. Jesus was a simple man with a simple message: God loves you, and God wants you to love each other. Love trumped the Law in the person of Jesus. So instead of asking whether something is right or wrong, perhaps we should be asking “What is most loving? What will bring this person into a closer relationship with God, who is love?” And instead of judging others by what they believe, maybe we should judge them by how well they love others. For those who love are born of God, and know God (perhaps whether they realize it or not). Love is at the root of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with our God.

The Christ Way of Love

           I am a follower of the Christ Way as it was modeled by the words and actions of Jesus as we understand them from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Most people call us Christians (although that moniker has been and is diluted and corrupted by many very un-Christlike people). Some modern-day followers of the Christ Way call themselves red-letter Christians because they look primarily to the words of Jesus for their doctrine, words which are traditionally printed in red ink in the aforementioned Gospels. I also look to the writings of Paul, Peter, and other early followers of the Christ Way as inspiration and insight for my own faith development. My sole authority, however, remains those red-letter words and actions of Jesus.

           While I may often stumble in adhering to those words, pretty much every attitude of my life is influenced by my faith. My understanding of the Christ Way influences which church I attend; what kind of people I associate with; my career choices; how I interact with my partner, my family, my friends, my colleagues, my students, and strangers; how I spend my money; how I treat animals and the environment; what I read and what I watch on TV; how I care for my body; and more.

           And it influences my politics to a great degree. I vote for candidates who advocate for the poor because Jesus was greatly concerned about the poor (Luke 3:11, 4:18, 14:13; and many more). I support politicians who uphold the rights of women and children because Jesus cared for women and children (John 4:1-26; Luke 8:43-48; Luke 7:36-50; Mark 10:13-16). I am against war and violence because Jesus was against war and violence (Matthew 26:52). I am critical of the rich and powerful because Jesus criticized the rich and powerful (Matthew 6:19-21, 24; Luke 18:25; Luke 16:19-31; and many more). I welcome foreigners because Jesus welcomed foreigners (John 4:1-26; Matthew 8:5-13; Matthew 25:35). I support programs of learning and education because Jesus was a learned person who practiced critical thinking (Luke 2:46-47; Luke 4:17; John 3:1-21). Jesus healed the sick without asking for anything in return (Luke 17:11-19; Matthew 9:1-8; Luke 8:43-48; and too many more to list here); that’s why I support universal healthcare. Jesus fed the hungry with the bounty shared by those who had food (Matthew 14:13-21), thus I support programs that offer public assistance to those in need.

           We can help the poor by providing financial assistance to those who cannot work, and opportunities to those who can. We can feed the hungry without anyone else starving because we discard shameful amounts of food every day. We can offer affordable, quality healthcare to all because we are one of the wealthiest, most technologically advanced nations on the planet. We need to remember that all good things come from God, and much is expected from those to whom much is given (Luke 12:48).

We can uphold the rights of women when we acknowledge that God is neither male nor female (John 4:24), and that all people—male, female, transgendered, all nationalities, all socio-economic levels, all physical abilities, gay, straight, everyone—is created in God’s image (Galatians 3:28). This acknowledgement helps us affirm civil rights for oppressed populations. It motivates us to welcome refugees and to be kind to the stranger (foreigner) among us.

           Some scholars even believe that Jesus may have blessed a same-sex relationship (Luke 7:1-10). Philip, a leader in the early church, ministered to a eunuch (and a black one, at that), a man who formerly would have had no place in the Jewish community but who was welcomed into the community of Christ (Acts 8:26-40). Some scholars assert that the term eunuch was applied not only to men who had had their genitals removed, but also to men who displayed no sexual interest in females. If this is true, then shouldn’t followers of the Christ Way support the rights of LGBT individuals to be who they are without persecution and to marry the individual of their own choice?

           In a secular nation where (presumably) a separation of church and state is upheld, I cannot expect all Americans to believe and do as I believe and do. However, I can challenge those who call themselves Christian to hold up Jesus as their example of the best way to think and act in the world. Jesus never judged a person of another religion; He did, however, often criticize the establishment of his own religion (Matthew 23:13-26; plus other references). He never turned away foreigners; in fact, He urged His followers to show hospitality to all (Luke 14:13-14). He associated with tax collectors, prostitutes, and other “unclean” people of His day (Matthew 9:10). And who are the “unclean” people of our day but the poor and homeless, the refugees, the physically and mentally disabled, the un- and under-employed, the un- and under-educated, those who talk and move and think and learn and love differently from the mainstream?

           Jesus urged the rich to share what they had been given with those who had nothing (Mark 10:17-27). How many pastors of Christian mega-churches live in mansions and drive expensive cars and fly in private jets to exotic locales while people in their own communities go sick and hungry and in need? These false teachers promote the blasphemous doctrine of prosperity and deflect attention from their own sins by pointing out the “sins” of the “unclean”? And how many wealthy Christians hoard their wealth while non-Christians—atheists, even—share their wealth and donate generously to help those in need because their hearts are full of compassion and not greed? Tell me, whose heart is more like the heart of God? Romans 2:14-16 explains that people will be judged according to what they have done, not by what they have believed.

           The first-century church didn’t have the Scriptures we now call the New Testament to use as a reference for their lifestyle. Hell, many of those early believers had never even read the Hebrew Scriptures and couldn’t speak Hebrew at all—or read and write in any language, for that matter. All they knew was either their own experience with Jesus, or their experiences with those who had known Jesus, or the experiences of those who knew someone who had known Jesus. Their “religion” was simple: show love for God through worship, praise, and caring for others…especially to “…the least of these” (Matthew 25:40). They were known as followers of the Christ Way by their love, not by their doctrine or their material blessings or their moral superiority. They had received the Gospel, the Good News: God loved them and wanted to be in relationship with them, and God wanted them to love each other in healthy relationships marked by equality, compassion, and respect (just read virtually the whole book of Acts). That’s it. No complicated doctrine. No scriptures to memorize. No magical incantations to say or miraculous works to perform. Just people living together in love and trying to understand God through love. In the first century C.E., their movement was revolutionary because it was radically inclusive and egalitarian, something that few, if any, cultures of the ancient world had achieved. It was what many so-called Christians today would condemn as socialist or even communist.

           If God is love, then all true love comes from God. The love of a parent for a child is often used in the Bible as a metaphor for God’s love for us. The sacrificial love of one friend for another is upheld as the greatest form of love. The love shared by two spouses or partners; the love one feels for one’s pet; the love one feels for the environment; the compassion a person feels for those who are suffering; in my opinion, the love one feels for any and all living things is of God, and those who love are of God (1 John 4:7-8).

           But love doesn’t mean ignoring or overlooking the shortcomings of another. We are told to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). When a parent corrects a child; when a teacher corrects a student; when a friend has a heart-to-heart talk with another friend about a hurtful thing that friend has said or done; and when people point out the greed and corruption of their leaders, they are speaking the truth in love. When another’s attitudes and behaviors are hurtful, we are expected to speak the truth in love and tell the perpetrator to stop. Standing up to bullies who are using their wealth and power to inflict harm is not being rebellious or disrespectful or judgmental or self-righteous; it is speaking the truth in love so that the people causing the harm can see the error of their ways and turn their hearts toward love, and thus, toward God.

           As we enter the year 2017, my prayer for myself is to love God and others more perfectly and boldly, to replace fear with love, and to bravely speak the truth in love when I see how another’s words or actions are hurtful. And I pray that when someone else speaks the truth in love to me, I can accept their words, ponder them in my mind and heart, and ultimately trust God to enlighten any and all truth—as well as any untruths—their words contained and incorporate that truth into my own practice of love in this world.